Buried Affections
by megsy598
Summary: Alec is heartbroken after a stupid mistaken causes Magnus to break up with him, and the only place he can seem to find comfort is in Jace's arms. Jace has no idea what is making him act the way he does, but he knows that his heart is torn between two. A single kiss can reignite a buried flame.
1. Chapter 1

Buried Affections

(A/N: This takes place after a certain incident in CoLS where Alec has just come home in the middle of the night and Jace is there to console him.)

When Jace initially heard the slam of the Institute's front door, he glanced up from his book and frowned. It was well past midnight and he'd been desperately avoiding sleep that night through a tonne of reading and about a million cups of coffee. He had been feeling fidgety for hours, knowing that even if he were to succumb to his drooping eyelids and other persistent signs of sleep deprivation, his mind would never shut off, and he would lay awake until the early hours of the morning.

He jumped up from his comfortable seat in the library and strolled towards the recently slammed doors, wondering what could have called for such a loud entry. It couldn't have been the wind, and Jace walked a little quicker when he imagined what menace could have been breaking into the Institute in the middle of the night.

It was dark at the entrance, so much so that Jace wondered whether he could have done with a night vison rune, but if he squinted, he could just about make out a shape on the ground by the door. It moved slightly, as though it was shaking. Jace reached for his witchlight, holding it out to reveal Alec in a crumpled heap on the floor, his whole body quaking uncontrollably from violent sobs.

"Alec?" He approached his brother with slight caution and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Alec looked up, his deep blue eyes connecting with Jace's and gleaming under the puddles of tears. His sobs subsided, but he was clearly still silently crying. "Everything," he whispered, reaching up to wipe the tears off of his face. "It's Magnus. He… He ended it."

"By the Angel," Jace exclaimed in a whisper. "Why would he do that?" Alec didn't respond, but just watched the floor with obvious self-hatred. Jace wished that Alec would stop blaming himself for everything, and suddenly resented the warlock who had caused his tears. Alec had seemed so much happier with Magnus, no longer so lonely and sour, and it was clear could tell that Magnus had felt the same way. Why would throw away something as great as that?

After a long sigh, tinted slightly with anger that Jace knew he had to control, he pulled the other boy up from the ground and into a strong embrace. The resilient sobbing was muffled in Jace's shirt, and he could feel tears seeping softly through the thin material. He could almost feel his parabatai's heartache, and it stung. Jace remembered such a time when he'd felt a similar burning in his heart, when he'd been told that the girl he was in love with was in fact his sister. The lie had cut a deep gash in his heart, and he could only imagine that the same sensation was ripping through Alec right now. He had no idea if he was helping or just being an annoyance, since he knew that the pain of heartbreak refused to be numbed. But he felt the need to at least attempt to comfort Alec.

Alec, however, couldn't think of anyone better to comfort him.

Alec had been in love with Jace since he was eleven years old, and for years had tried to hide it, until Clary had come along and dragged his secret out into the open. But Jace knew this. The blonde had been completely calm about it when he'd found out, and had told Alec to get over himself and take a step out of his comfort zone. So when that step had appeared, obvious and fabulously gorgeous, Alec had seized the opportunity – and not only to get over Jace. He really loved Magnus, and when he'd said it was over, the words had cut through Alec and burned hotter than a seraph blade.

But although he'd been with Magnus, Alec had never really been able to shift his previous feelings for Jace. They had dulled, but had refused fade completely. Sure, he no longer indulged in erotic fantasies, but he still appreciated the boy's golden, almost angelic features. How could anyone stop loving Jace?

"It's his loss anyway," Jace piped up, and Alec suddenly snapped out of his little trance. The words reminded him of something that would be said to a heartbroken teenage girl, especially with the hint of pity in Jace's tone. He quickly pulled away from the warm embrace, blushing with embarrassment, and sat with his back to the wall. He hugged his knees and tried as hard as he could to ignore the nagging voice in his head that was commenting on Jace's smell, face, eyes, and especially, the way his clothes clung to his skin.

"Are you OK?" Jace enquired.

"I'm fine." In all honesty, Alec didn't think he'd ever be OK - he pain in his chest felt as though it would never go away. But Jace's presence alone seemed to be somewhat helping.

"You know, I can tell when you're lying."

"Then no. I'm far from OK," Alec admitted. "But that was plainly obvious. Why ask?"

Jace's lips curved into a small smile, probably concealing a laugh at Alec's need for everything to have reason. Humour was wasted on him.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, during which Alec practically stared at Jace as he fidgeted. He would realise he was staring every now again and pull his eyes away, but they always seemed to eventually stray back to Jace.

"Thanks, Jace," Alec said after a while, offering a weak smile to the look the beautiful blonde sent him, as though he wandered what he was being thanked for. "You can go if you want."

"What about you?" Alec noticed the touch of genuine concern in his voice.

"I'm just going to sit here and… mourn for a little while longer."

Jace nodded and stood, taking a step backwards, his eyes still locked with Alec's, before he turned and walked away. But he only got a few feet away before he spun around again and did something incredibly unpredictable. He came back to where Alec sat and crouched down beside him, taking a minute to search the blue eyed boy before he leaned forward. He planted a firm kiss on Alec's lips, a hand gripping the back of his neck. He lingered for only a few seconds before he pulled away, seemingly with sudden regret, and walked off. But not before Alec caught a glance of Jace's tongue flicking across his lips.

Alec was left gaping at nothing, eyes wide with fascination. He reached up to touch his lips, convinced that he must have imagined it. But the sweet taste of Jace still hung there. A small part of him squealed with excitement, but confusion blinded him.

By the Angel – what had just happened?!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A haze of dizziness and sudden fatigue overcame Jace as he tossed open the door to his room and collapsed onto the bed. His head was throbbing and his eyes slowly lulled shut, as he wondered why he was so tired after consuming so much caffeine. But he didn't care enough to worry – maybe his coffee had been spiked. At least now he might be able to sleep without the thick barrier of restlessness in his way.

But as soon as his head hit the pillow, thoughts spiralled around in Jace's head and kept him awake. The events of that night were constantly rerunning again and again, as he tried to figure out what could have possessed him to kiss Alec.

Alec Lightwood had always been like a brother to Jace, since he'd been sent to the New York Institute at the age of 10. They'd been there for each other for years, through thick and thin and even through the recent Mortal War. By the Angel – they were _parabatai_! And yet it had felt so right to be kissing Alec.

This, Jace couldn't work out. It wasn't as though he was desperate – he had Clary, after all, and he couldn't wish for anything more. Not to mention the fact that it would be dangerous for him to _do _anything more than a single kiss since the heavenly fire inside of him would burn him to ash if he got too _excited._

The fact that he could be potentially attracted to a guy didn't bother Jace that much. He'd always wondered whether his sexual orientation was exclusive to females, so he wasn't entirely surprised. But _Alec_? Surely he wasn't suddenly developing feelings for him – it was wrong, not to mention illegal.

Jace must have spent the whole night thinking things over, ideas, thoughts and seemingly random feelings tumbling about. He never did come to any conclusion, but was still in a daze of thought when a knock came at the door the next morning.

"Jace?" Clary's soft voice whispered as she eased open the door. He caught a glimpse of her dazzlingly red hair as he sat up, stretching and realising that he really needed to relieve himself. Maybe drinking all that coffee hadn't been such a great idea. He got up as Clary entered, bending to kiss her softly on the lips.

"What was that for?" She asked, blushing almost redder than her hair. Jace shrugged, pushing past her to leave the room. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Nature calls!" Jace answered, rushing towards the bathroom.

Clary obediently waited outside the bathroom, doodling on the doorframe with a pencil. Jace seemed to be acting strange this morning, especially since he had still been in bed, fully clothed, at such a late hour in the morning. When he emerged from the bathroom, he looked weirder still, with a quicker, jumpier pace as he strolled down the hall after planting yet another unexpected kiss on her cheek. He avoided her gaze, and held a pained expression as though there was a guilty conscience nagging at him that she couldn't hear.

"What time is it?" He asked as they stepped into the elevator travelling to the ground floor of the majestic Institute.

"Almost eleven," Clary told him. "By the way, I'm pretty sure I saw Alec asleep by the front door when I walked in. Is he OK?"

"I'm sure he's fine." His reply was a little too quick, as if he'd been expecting the question. But before Clary could ask if _he _was OK, the doors opened and they stepped out onto the ground floor of the Institute.

Sure enough, Alec was still curled up at the door, head rested against the wall and eyes closed to conceal the sea blue that gleamed beneath his eyelids. Upon arrival, Clary had considered waking him up, unable to ignore him since his long legs were stretched out and taking up half of the hall. But taking in his position, she decided that it would probably be best if someone other than her was to wake him, since she was sure he wouldn't be too thrilled if he woke with a fierce hangover to the sight of her.

Jace, however, barely took any notice of his _parabatai._ The blonde boy chanced a quick glance at Alec, before turning away suddenly and leading Clary off towards the kitchen. She frowned but followed, telling herself that there had to be a simple reason for his strange behaviour, but still feeling a little worried.

In the kitchen, a strange smell hung in the air. Isabelle Lightwood was cooking… _something_ in a pan, humming away to herself until she noticed Clary and Jace entering the room. She beamed at them, her ruby necklace rested on her chest.

"Hey," she greeted them. "I made pancakes – you want some?" Jace scoffed, shaking his head as he strolled over and started making some coffee. "Clary? Fancy a pancake?"

Clary took one look at the unappealing yellow mess in the pan and suddenly lost any appetite she might have had before. "Erm… No thanks."

Izzy shrugged. "Suit yourself." She continued to watch the pan as her so called "pancakes" cooked.

"Isabelle," Jace said. "Might I mention that your brother is very inconveniently blocking the doorway? You may want to ask him to move or demons will run havoc over the city if we can't get out."

"What?" Izzy dropped the spatula she was holding and rushed out into the hall, crying her brother's name when she saw him passed out by the door. Jace sighed and turned off the hob she'd left on, slowly making his way out of the kitchen with a cup of steaming coffee in hand. Clary watched him with a suspicious glare – he was acting strange again. Didn't he care what had happened to his _parabatai_?

When they reached the door, Izzy was already desperately fussing over her brother. He was gradually gaining consciousness, and Clary couldn't tell whether Isabelle was angry or worried – she seemed to be worrying and shouting at the same time.

"Clary, maybe you should go home," Jace told her. "I'll call you later." Clary nodded, vowing that if he didn't call, she would be back at the Institute to confront him about why he was acting the way he was.

Alec woke to the irritating sound of his little sister practically screaming in his ear, contributing to his already agonising headache. There were dry tears on his skin, in streams down his cheeks from where he'd been crying the night before. But thankfully, the sobs had left his system, and he was now left with a splintering pain over his left eyebrow and a ringing in his ears.

There was a fuzzy haze over Alec's vision, but he was pretty sure he saw the red of Clary's hair as he looked up. She disappeared out of sight a moment later, supposedly leaving the Institute. Isabelle, however, was knelt in front of him, looking at him with an expression full of fright. He wondered how bad he looked, but knowing Izzy, she was probably overreacting.

"By the Angel – Alec, what happened to you?! You didn't come home last night, we didn't know what had happened to you, and now…" Izzy was rambling; scolding him for not coming home, whilst simultaneously worrying about his well-being.

"Stop fussing, Izzy. He was probably just with Magnus all night." Alec looked up to see Jace at the other end of the hall, brushing his hair off his face as he spoke. He looked normal, wearing the same clothes as he had been last night, but Alec couldn't help but let his eyes wander and settle on the blonde boy's lips, reliving the kiss they had shared. It may have been brief, but the passion and urgency of it had set alight a burning desire that Alec had been ignoring for years. But, at the same time, Jace's lips had been soft, soothing Alec's heartache and wiping away his tears. Jace knew full well what was going on – why was he feigning ignorance?

"Actually, I was," Alec said, surprised by the sturdiness of his voice. "But that was early in the evening. He broke up with me."

"_What?!"_ Isabelle practically screamed. "Why the fuck would he do that?"

"I –"

"I'm going over there right now!"

"Oh, Izzy, please don't –"

"No! No one breaks up with my brother and gets away with it!" And with that she was gone, hand tightened on her whip and the seraph blade at her belt as she stormed out of the Institute. Alec wondered what she would do when she saw Magnus, and just hoped she wouldn't hurt him. It was Alec's fault after all.

Alec saw Jace out of the corner of his eye, turning to leave without even a glance back at Alec. He didn't even flinch when Alec called his name. Alec hastily scrambled to his feet, desperate to catch Jace before he could disappear off somewhere – Jace had always been very good at disappearing when he wanted to. The Institute was empty: the perfect time for them to talk without being rudely interrupted. And after what had happened the night before, they _really _needed to talk.

Eventually, Alec did catch up and called out to Jace yet again, but the other boy seemed to be insistent in ignoring him. "_Jace_!" Alec said one final time as he grabbed the boy's shoulder and pulled the blonde back to face him. But maybe he had used just a tad too much force, as Jace jerked up his arm as he turned, the coffee he held flying into the air. The hot liquid inevitably splashed all over the boy's front, soaking his shirt and seeping through to burn his flesh.

"Oh God! I'm so sorry!" Alec cried, jumping out of the way as the cup hurtled down to smash on the wooden floor.

"Shit!" Jace exclaimed, before unexpectedly grabbing the hem of his shirt and pulling it off before the coffee could burn him anymore. Alec hadn't seen this coming, and his eyes widened at the sight of Jace's bare chest. He could feel a hot blush rising in his cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he said again, trying to evade his wandering gaze from Jace's abs. "Are you OK?"

"Yes," Jace said, a sigh in his tone. "Yes, I'm fine. Nothing an _iratze _won't heal." He looked at Alec, and for a second he thought the blonde might laugh. But instead he just sighed and looked away. "I'll just go and change," he murmured, before trying to pass Alec. But instead of letting him go, Alec put a hand on the other boy's shoulder to stop him, feeling how hot the flesh was there and willing his mind to think less erotic thoughts.

"Are we going to talk about what happened last night?" He asked, gulping nervously.

"There's nothing to talk about," Jace insisted.

"Yes, there is. I might have been a little drunk last night, but not so much that I hallucinated. And _you _were the one that initiated that kiss."

"Well, maybe I was also a little under the influence," Jace lied. It was obvious that he was lying in the way his shoulders tensed defensively when he spoke. "And there was no kiss."

"Don't do this, Jace."

"Don't do what?"

"Don't pretend it didn't happen just so you don't have to worry about it." Alec could feel an authoritative edge to his tone which he hadn't meant to add.

Jace leaned a little closer, a warning in the look he sent Alec. "There's nothing to worry about. Alec, I don't know what you're talking about."

"But that _kiss…_"

"Alec, how many times do I have to tell you – there was no kiss!" Jace snapped. That was the last straw for Alec – he wasn't about to walk away when Jace was so insistent on pretending that last night had never happened.

"Fine!" he shouted at the blonde. "If you refuse to admit to that kiss, then what about this one?" Before Jace could react, Alec crushed those enticing lips with his own, wrapping an arm around the other boy's neck when he tried to pull away. It wasn't as if Alec was much stronger than Jace, but that seemed to hold him close. Jace was the better fighter, and if he really wanted to, he could have easily punched Alec in the gut and tackled him to the ground. Alec decided that the fact that he didn't take any of these actions was a good sign. The two boys' lips were pressed together so hard that Alec could feel Jace leaning away, and considered easing off a bit. But he was afraid that if he did, Jace would get away.

But Jace had no intention of pulling away any time soon, even if his conscience was screaming that this was wrong. Soon, he began to succumb to Alec's fierce attack, his lips parting to allow Alec's tongue to slither in and collide with his own. A deep moan escaped from his throat, and suddenly, the gap between them felt like miles and he couldn't take it any longer. He grabbed Alec's hips and pulled them towards his, simultaneously pushing the other boy up against a nearby wall. Alec already had one arm wound around Jace's neck, and it wasn't long before the other joined. By this point, their bodies were completely pressed up against each other.

The kiss grew ever deeper, desperation and urgency striving to meet new heights. But when Alec's teeth nipped Jace's bottom lip, he felt a fire inside him blaze up to the point where he felt as though his whole body was engulfed in a giant flame. He was forced to tear his lips from Alec, scampering away and noticing the burning glow of his skin. He looked to the other boy, seeing the flush of his skin and letting out a sigh of relief that he wasn't physically hurt. But Jace could see the crease in Alec's forehead, like the look of a young boy whose favourite toy had just been taken away from him.

"I'm sorry," Jace said, before hastily fleeing away so that he didn't burn to death in Alec's presence.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Brother Zachariah arrived at the New York Institute in record time, only to find Maryse Lightwood waiting impatiently on the doorstep. Her foot tapped on the ground, and she was overall jittery in her stance. A look of relief flooded her features as the Silent Brother reached the doors and she beckoned him inside.

"Thank the Angel you got here so fast," she sighed as the Institute door swung shut behind them. "It's Jace - something happened and he's burning up again."

_The Heavenly Fire_, Brother Zachariah clarified. _He was supposed to be careful_.

Maryse sighed again, knowing just how much of a daredevil Jace could sometimes be. He didn't care much for rules, and often dismissed them in an effort to do whatever he wanted. Maryse was sure that he had inherited the trait, as the Herondales had always been known to have a devious demeanour.

But Maryse would never have guessed that her adopted son would risk his life by playing around with the Heavenly Fire trapped in his body. She knew that he would give up his life in an instant for those he loved - a dangerous trait but expected of a training Shadowhunter (yet she still believed that it was incredibly noble for someone so young). But he wouldn't throw it away when the Shadowhunters were preparing for the looming battle with Jonathan Morgenstern - or Sebastian, as he, and most of the Clave, preferred to call him. Jace refused to explain what had caused the Heavenly Fire to spark up, and insisted that it had just happened and that he had no idea what had triggered it. But it was clear by the way he said it each time that he was hiding something.

Brother Zachariah followed Maryse to the infirmary, where Jace laid in one of the beds, unmoving other than the rise and fall of his chest, at a faster pace than usual. He stared at the ceiling, transfixed in thought, his blonde hair splayed out on the pillow and arms at his sides.

"Jace?" Maryse said, and his eyes snapped up to meet hers. She noticed the sunny glow on his skin than even reached his already golden eyes, a clear sign that the Heavenly Fire still lingered close to the surface. "Jace, are you alright?"

"Yes," he said, sitting up a little. "Yes, I feel much better." He then looked to Brother Zachariah, his head cocked to the side as if he were confused by the Brother's presence. "I'm sorry to waste your time, but I think I'm OK now."

_The Heavenly Fire is in fact still visible_, Zachariah stated, standing close to the bed with his head bowed to hide his face. _What exactly caused this outburst?_

"I don't know," Jace replied sternly, sticking to his story. "It just happened."

The Silent Brother nodded once, seemingly having everything figured out. He told Maryse that she could leave, and that he would need a few hours to get Jace back into shape. She nodded and made sure, yet again, that Jace was feeling OK. He replied with a nod, insisting that he was fine, as teenagers always did. Then she left the room, turning back to ask if Jace knew where Alec had disappeared to.

A tense look flickered across the boy's face as she said his _parabatai_'s name, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "I don't know," he said, tone completely normal, nothing about him suggesting any tension between the two boys. "Have you checked his room?"

Brother Zachariah loomed over Jace for a long time without saying - or rather, communicating - a single word. Normally, this would have made him feel a little uncomfortable, but Jace didn't really care all that much. He had more pressing issues to deal with.

He had told Maryse and Zachariah that he didn't know what had caused his Heavenly Fire flare, but judging by the amount of times she had asked, she obviously didn't believe him. He stuck to his story, stubborn in making sure that he didn't give any clues as to what had happened between him and Alec just hours before.

Their first kiss had been strange and unexplainable, easily dismissed as it had been so slight and quick. But this latest affair had been much more intense, stirring up uncontrollable sensations in Jace, and therefore igniting the flame that had led to his whole body burning bright and hot. There was no denying his feelings for Alec - he just had to hide them as best as he could.

_Have you been working on controlling your emotions?_ Brother Zachariah asked, in the eerie mental voice that echoed around in Jace's head.

Jace shrugged. "A little."

_Could that have been the reason for your outburst?_ Jace didn't answer but tried desperately to swallow the need to cough. _Strong emotions can have a negative effect on the Heavenly Fire - anger, jealousy, excitement. Lust, even._

Jace couldn't help but groan - Brother Zachariah was bound to figure it out eventually, if he hadn't yet, so there was no point trying to cover it up. The Silent Brother didn't make a comment, but simply inclined his head and began to work, lacing Jace with the strange magic of the Silent Brothers the way he had just a few weeks earlier.

_Try to ensure it does not happen again_, he advised.

"It won't," Jace promised, although a part of him sniggered, knowing that he was kidding himself.

Just a few minutes later, by which point Jace had closed his eyes and allowed Brother Zachariah to work in peace, the door to the infirmary was flung open and Isabelle waltzed in with the grace and urgency of most experienced Shadowhunters. Alec trailed behind, carrying the same concerned expression as his sister, yet a little more hesitant in his approach. He blushed a little when his eyes met Jace's gaze, but was able to hide it from anyone else's view.

"By the Angel, Jace – what did you do?!" Izzy cried, ignoring Brother Zachariah's presence as she hurtled towards Jace. The blonde groaned and closed his eyes again, trying to ignore his sister and the flame burning through his veins. He heard a load sigh from Izzy but kept his eyes closed, until a the cold sensation of a hand on his shoulder along with a freezing rush through his whole body forced his eyes to fly open.

_Don't touch him,_ Brother Zachariah told Alec as the dark haired boy jumped back. Jace's flesh was burning hotter than fire, and the gasp he'd made when Alec had touched him said it might be a good idea to step back. _He could have burned your hand off – you are very lucky._

Jace sent Alec a slightly startled, warning look and the older boy nodded and folded his arms over his chest. Izzy fussed over Jace as she had to Alec that morning, trying to force some answers out of him about what had stimulated the flare. Alec knew that it was his fault - he'd kissed Jace just to prove a point, as well as to sooth the lustful aching in his stomach at the sight of the blonde boy topless. Because of him, the Heavenly Fire could have burned Jace to ash.

Yet, when he'd touched Jace's skin just a moment ago, an electrical surge had passed through him like an electric shock. If this wasn't strange enough, it hadn't hurt at all - if anything it had been a pleasant sensation. Judging by Jace's expression immediately after, he had felt it too. But Alec didn't say anything to Isabelle or Zachariah about it, and neither did the other boy.

After a while, and after making sure that Jace was OK, Alec decided to leave. Due to much persuasion from Alec, Jace and even Brother Zachariah, Izzy also followed, a little reluctantly. She asked Alec if he knew what Jace was hiding, but he just looked away and denied everything.

"You know," Izzy began, changing the subject as they strolled down the hall, "I never noticed it before, but your boyfriend is really stubborn."

"Ex-boyfriend," Alec corrected, accepting the disappointed look she sent him.

"Not on my terms! He practically agreed to marry you months ago, and I'm _not_ giving up with you guys until you're walking down that isle." Alec sighed, but made no effort to shut his sister up.

"But really," she continued, "I never knew, but Magnus is even worse than Clary - it took half an hour of shouting up to his window for him to even buzz me in, and another twenty minutes to get him to have an actual conversation with me."

Izzy carried on with her rambling and Alec ignored most of it, trying to hide the ache in his heart whenever she said the warlock's name.

The truth was, he missed Magnus. It had only been a day and he already missed Magnus' smell, his crazy dress sense and even all the annoying glitter. He missed going to Magnus' apartment to escape the bore of staying cooped up at home. He missed curling up on the couch with his boyfriend, Chairman Meow persistently climbing onto his lap. He missed the passionate nights he'd spent with Magnus, where the cat had also sometimes tried to make himself known.

Alec had felt so out of place with Magnus at first, the idea alone so unfamiliar that he wasn't sure how to act. But after a while, he'd eventually become so comfortable with Magnus that it felt more than natural to be with him. He never hesitated in telling Magnus that he loved him, because it was true - an undeniable fact.

It felt so wrong to now be indulging in kisses from Jace, so close to his and Magnus' breakup that it almost felt like cheating. Alec sometimes found himself hoping that he would wake up and realise that the last day had all been a dream, and find Magnus laying by his side, preferably naked and playing with his hair.

With this in mind, the rest of Alec's day was spent locked in his room, constantly checking his phone and hoping that the stubborn warlock would reply to his texts or phone calls. He must have sent at least a hundred texts, and left many pleading voicemails, begging Magnus to take him back, apologising and even throwing in a few 'I love you's in the hope that he would give in soon. But by the end of the day, Alec had had no luck, and Magnus was still ignoring him.

That night, Alec barely slept, tossing and turning in his bed as a million crazy thoughts spun through his head, mostly concerning either Jace or Magnus - sometimes both. When sleep finally took him, Alec was dragged into a heated dream full of kisses and bed sheets and lots of naked flesh. Originally, Alec was relieved to find that Magnus was the man in his dreams, however, nearing the end of his slumber, the dark hair suddenly lightened to a golden blonde and Jace took the warlock's place.

Alec woke late the next morning, startled and annoyed, and quickly found that he had a definite problem brewing. He ignored it at first, hoping that it would go away, but when the sensation grew in intensity, Alec found himself rushing to the bathroom for a long cold shower. It helped somewhat, but Alec still couldn't shift the feeling of guilt that laid at the bottom of his stomach due to his most recent dream.

The freezing water fell over Alec's skin like a million frozen bullets, and he could only take the shattering cold for so long before he was forced to turn up the temperature. His teeth were chattering by this point, and he wrapped his arms around himself and stood under the water for a long time in an effort to warm up.

And maybe if he hadn't taken so long, the next strange incident wouldn't have happened, or at least not then. Alec didn't hear the bathroom door ease open, and didn't notice as someone undressed and climbed into the shower behind him, since his eyes were tightly closed. But he did feel the gentle sensation of a pair of familiar arms encircling his waste from behind, and leaned into them, smiling with a content moan and not bothering to open his eyes.

He assumed that it was Magnus, remembering how many times the warlock had crept up on him in the shower before. And considering the fact that he'd just been speculating on how much he missed Magnus, he was glad that his wishes had come true.

But when he opened his eyes and glanced at the arms that held him, he realised that the golden skin of the arms definitely wasn't Magnus' darker colour. He jumped away immediately as he noticed this, and mentally kicked himself for being so stupid. He stared with a puzzled look at the other boy who'd joined him in the shower.

"Jace, what the hell are you doing?!"


	4. Chapter 4

Jace had no idea what he was doing.

After hours of work at trying to settle the Heavenly Fire that was still burning bright in Jace's veins, Brother Zachariah had let him go, admitting that there wasn't much more he could do. He warned Jace to rest for at least a few days - he would be fine as long as he didn't get up to any _exciting_ activities. The blonde had nodded and obeyed the Silent Brother's orders, returning to his room and wondering how he was going to avoid his parabatai given the swarm of emotions he felt for the other boy.

After much deliberation and desperate attempts at sleep, Jace had given up and left the solitude of his room, only to find that it was late in the morning. The sun hung high in the sky, leaving steep shadows on the floors of the Institute. It seemed that the old building was empty, but as Jace wandered around, with no destination in mind, he heard the distant sound of a shower running.

He remembered pressing his ear to the door, somehow knowing it was Alec, before easing the bathroom door open and creeping inside. The next thing he knew, he had joined the older boy in the shower, sliding his arms around Alec's waist and resting his chin on his shoulder. Thankfully, he found that he had left his boxers on, although Alec was obviously wearing nothing at all.

For a few minutes, Jace found that he was completely content in this comforting position, encircled in a bubble of comfortable silence and Alec's intriguing scent. To his surprise, the dark haired boy relaxed onto him, a low moan escaping his throat. Jace found that Alec's skin was beautifully soft under the gentle patter of water, and couldn't help but stroke the boy's abs with his thumb, tauntingly close to a region that Jace wasn't sure if he would like to explore. Part of him longed to, overwhelmed by the same height of lust that had made him kiss the boy. But Jace had never been with a man before, and he had to admit that he wasn't entirely sure what it entailed. Before a couple of days ago, he hadn't wanted to know.

Suddenly, after quite a while of content silence, the blonde felt Alec's body go tense for a second, before the boy scampered away, startled when he saw Jace standing behind him. Alec's back hit the wall as he stepped away, trying to extend the distance between them as much as possible. Jace frowned when he saw what he was doing.

"Jace, what the hell are you doing?!" Alec blurted out, obviously too stunned to realise the harsh disgust in the way he spoke. Jace bit his lip, confused as to Alec's sudden change in attitude, whilst trying to numb the ache in his chest as he heard the other boy's tone. He knew that his friend would never intentionally hurt him, and he didn't understand his strange, unwelcome sensitivity, but he couldn't help what he felt.

Jace gulped and didn't say a word, and neither did Alec, but he sent a look as if he was waiting for a long winded explanation. "Well?" He pressed, and Jace fumbled for an answer, a little put of by Alec's lack of clothing.

"I just... Heard the shower running and though I'd join you." It was the truth, but no matter how honest, Jace knew that his reply sounded pathetic. Alec let out an agitated sigh as he did whenever Jace crossed the line, but he didn't shout or give him the usual disappointed look.

"Jace, didn't you hear a word Brother Zachariah said? We can't... This has to stop. You could kill me, or worse, kill yourself." Alec sounded as though his words were unwillingly being forced out of his mouth, as if they'd been scripted for him to say. He knew that the responsible thing to do would be to stop this strange, undefined fling between them before it got out of hand. And by the Angel, Jace hated it when Alec tried to act responsible.

"I won't hurt you," Jace insisted, uttering the words as though they were a solemn promise. "It seems to me that I'm more controlled when I'm near you, anyway." Back in the infirmary, Jace had felt a million times better in Alec's presence, and he was sure that his parabatai had some unexpected effect on his ability to contain the Heavenly Fire inside him. The lust might be a problem, but as long as they were careful, Jace was happy to risk it to sooth the longing to be near the other boy. The Heavenly Fire hadn't affected Alec in the infirmary or when they'd kissed, like he was immune. Or maybe the Fire was sparing him.

"No," Alec said sternly. "I don't care about that. You could hurt yourself because of me, and I can't - I won't risk that."

When Jace didn't say anything in response, Alec lowered his gaze. He was suddenly very conscious of the fact that he was naked, and that he was probably erect in Jace's presence. He didn't want to confirm his suspicions by looking down. Instead, he turned and stepped out of the shower, reaching for a towel to provide him with some privacy. "I'm gonna go. Turn off the water when you're done," he told Jace, wrapping the towel around his waist. He didn't really want to leave, but felt as though he should. He knew he had to be the adult here, since there was no chance that Jace was going to - the Heavenly Fire probably hadn't even faded away from the previous day yet, and Alec was honestly concerned about how another violent flare might affect the blonde. But what he didn't tell Jace about was the guilt tugging at his heart, as his conscience whispered to him that this was wrong. The voice was Magnus', naturally, and something stabbed angrily at Alec's chest with every word.

But just as Alec reached for the door, before he could take hold of the handle, a pair of strong arms grabbed him from behind and lifted him off the ground, bringing him back into the shower. Startled, Alec could do nothing to stop the culprit, and only squirmed once his feet were off the ground. But Jace refused to give in, and held Alec to him even when his feet were back on the ground, water yet again falling onto his shoulders and head.

The blonde boy's lips quickly caught his, removing the distance between them with a swift tug at Alec's hips, so that their bare chests were pressed together. Jace's skin was hot and feverish, as Alec had expected, but after only a second of connection, the heat dulled to a comforting warmth, as though Alec's touch soothed the Fire.

"Jace, I told you -" But the blonde hushed him quickly, one hand moving from his hip to the small of his back, and Alec noticed that one of his own hands was entangled in Jace's golden curls.

"I don't care," Jace said, in a possessive growl. Then he laughed with a light hearted grin. "Alec, the Heavenly Fire doesn't affect you."

"But it affects _you _-" Alec was cut off by Jace's lips against his once again, and he found himself pressing into the kiss as much as possible, just in case he was able to convince Jace to lay off.

"Not when you're here." The hand on Alec's back stretched out its fingers as the next kiss commenced, more hungry this time, applying gentle pressure to bring the boys' hips together so that Alec's entire body was pressed to Jace's. Alec gasped when he realised that the hard pressure against his thigh was Jace's erection, the parting of his lips allowing the other boy's tongue to slip into his mouth and collide with his own.

Alec couldn't help but allow the kiss, intoxicated by Jace's taste. Soon, a battle for dominance commenced, both boys attacking the kiss so hungrily that Alec almost didn't notice when Jace's hand moved to tug at the towel around his waist. He only realised something was up when a cold wind swept over his upper thighs and the now drenched towel fell to the ground.

All of a sudden, Alec ended the kiss, immediately feeling as though he had lost the function to breathe. Jace gave him a puzzled look, which disappeared almost instantaneously when his gaze drifted downwards.

"Whoa," Jace said, smiling. Alec could feel the persistent burn in his cheeks, but all he could do was observe as Jace crouched in front of him. His eyes squeezed shut, blinding him from what Jace could be up to. He didn't want to be surprised, but his embarrassment sealed his eyes shut. "How have you been hiding this?"

Alec scoffed, trying to act normal, as if the fact that Jace knelt so close to his dick didn't bother him. "I haven't been hiding anything - nobody asked."

"Honestly, Alec, I must admit my expectations were pretty low. What is it - eight, nine inches? Pretty impressive."

"You talk like it takes skill."

Jace laughed. "Magnus is a lucky guy."

Alec sucked in a breath, holding it in his lungs as if the torture was a sufficient one. "Was."

Alec didn't hear the other boy move, but his lips were right by Alec's ear when he whispered, "I'm sorry." Then a brief kiss was planted on his mouth, throat, chest, abs, navel, and finally, Jace's mouth rested on the tip of Alec's erection, tongue swirling around the -

"Stop." It took all of Alec's willpower to say that one word, knowing that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if Jace went any further. His eyes flew open as Jace pulled away, their gazes immediately connecting. "I-I'm sorry, I can't."

Jace nodded and stood, looking a little disappointed even through his weak smile, even when he said, "It's OK. I understand." He looked as though he was about to leave, when he turned back to Alec at the last second. "I don't think it's over between you and Magnus."

Alec sighed. "You sound like Isabelle."

"I mean it. He loved you, and he'd been an idiot to give you up."

Alec looked deep into Jace's golden eyes. He rarely said such a thing, ruining any heartfelt moment with a joke or sarcastic comment. He gulped. "What about you? What about _this_?"

Jace's gaze remained steady. "I think we both know that if you had to pick between me and Magnus, you'd pick him." Later, Alec spent a while debated whether he agreed, and after hours, he still hadn't come to a conclusion.

Alec climbed out of the shower almost reluctantly, and pulled a towel around himself. By now, his skin was wrinkled to the point where Alec wondered if it was possible that he'd been in that shower with Jace so long that he'd grown old. But no, when he glanced in the mirror, he was still eighteen, with dark hair, blue eyes, and clear signs of Shadowhunter origin in the faded marks that tattooed his arms and torso. Jace was still in the shower, having kicked Alec out on the basis that he was a distraction, as though it required focus to shower. But when Alec mentioned this, Jace joked that it wasn't easy looking this good.

It was as though they were back to normal, like the awkwardness that their kisses had created had suddenly dissipated. But the swarm of emotions and sensations that Jace's presence brought had only intensified.

Suddenly, as Alec rubbed his hair with a towel to dry it, he heard a shout from far away, before a knock hit heavily on the bathroom door.

"Alec!" His sister called. "Hurry up - the demons won't wait for you to braid your hair!"

Jace's head peeked out from behind the shower curtain. The boys shared a grin, before they rushed off to pull on their Shadowhunter gear and kick some demon ass.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey, it's my first author's note! Just wanted to thank you all for reading - please review and let me know what you think. In this chapter, Clary gets an eyeful, Simon gets some action and Church makes an appearance. Enjoy!

Chapter 5

Jace couldn't believe how amazing Alec tasted.  
>After all these years of being friends, brothers and parabatai, a new kind of connection was forming between them and Jace couldn't deny that he quite liked it. The sweet taste of Alec's lips wouldn't leave his, but he didn't mind.<br>But whilst he'd been caught up in Alec, Jace had completely forgotten about Clary. His girlfriend.  
>"By the Angel," Jace murmured when he saw how many missed calls and texts he'd received from Clary just that day. He didn't use his phone much, and honestly didn't understand what use a Shadowhunter such as himself could get from mundane technology, but Clary had insisted that he have one and answer it when she called.<br>But he hadn't, and Jace was sure that the stubborn redhead was bound to be pretty annoyed with him.  
>As if it was a clear sign, the phone started ringing again just as Jace picked it up, vibrating with such intensity that he almost dropped it. But once he had a firm grip on the irritating object, he took a deep breath and held the phone to his ear.<br>"Jace? Thank goodness, I thought something might have happened! Are you OK? You didn't call me back yesterday so I wondered..."  
>"No, Clary, I'm fine," Jace insisted, deciding to leave out the fact that he'd not been fine just a day ago when his skin had burned up like a million bonfires. But he didn't want Clary to know that just yet, or she would force him to tell her what the cause had been. He wasn't sure he could lie to her time and time again if she didn't believe him as Maryse hadn't, so he needed a pretty good cover story to convince her.<br>"Well, I'm on my way to the Institute right now. Simon's with me and he wanted to talk to Izzy." Jace heard a muffled, far off 'hi' in the background that he assumed must have been the vampire. "We'll be there in twenty minutes, tops."  
>"Great. See you then. Bye." Jace hung up the phone as quickly as possible, unable to contain the unexpected guilt that had struck his chest. He was cheating on Clary. After all they'd been through, he had gone and blown it by making a stupid move on Alec which he couldn't take back. Clary didn't deserve that - she didn't deserve him.<br>Jace suddenly understood Alec's hesitancy of that morning. Alec hadn't wanted to feel as though he was betraying Magnus, even though they had broken up, and yet here Jace was, still in a relationship as he snogged the shit out of his best friend. What sort of man was he to commit such a crime?  
>After shedding his Shadowhunter gear as well as the majority of his weapons (you could never be too cautious), Jace left his room and wandered around the Institute until he found the library. Coincidentally, Alec was there, set at a table with an open book in his hands. It was quite obviously a Codex, but the older Shadowhunter closed the book quickly before Jace could see what page he was reading so intently.<br>"Hey," Jace greeted, collapsing into a chair opposite his parabatai and trying to ignore the longing to kiss the other boy.  
>"What's wrong?" Alec asked immediately, concern splattering all over his features. His blue eyes glistened and Jace hoped by the Angel that the throbbing beneath his stomach wasn't what he thought it was.. Alec always seemed to know when Jace was upset or angry, even before they'd been connected by the parabatai runes.<br>"Nothing," Jace said, shaking his head. "Just... Clary." He knew he didn't need to say another word to explain when Alec frowned sympathetically at him.  
>"Oh," he sighed, and gave Jace that frequently used look that made him know that Alec was about to say something he wouldn't like. "Choose her."<br>"What?" Jace asked, with a pleading shake of his head. "Alec, what are you talking about? Choose her for what?"  
>"Choose her over me. You love her, and she loves you. We'll stop this... Whatever this is, but you've got to promise me you'll go back to her and forget any of this ever happened. She doesn't deserve to lose you."<br>Jace nodded. Alec had to be the most selfless person he knew, although he was sure that the Lightwood was being urged on by guilt - nobody wanted to get on Clary's bad side. But Jace refused to allow Alec to throw away something on the account of somebody else. Besides, maybe he had already decided who he would pick.  
>"That's true," Jace told the boy, standing to walk to the other side of the massive table and not caring if there was a tent in his trousers. "But neither do you." He leant in and Alec let him, capturing the kiss he'd wanted.<p>

"So, how's Jace these days?" Simon asked Clary as they walked out of the subway and onto the streets of Brooklyn. She sighed and tucked away her cell phone, having just got off the phone with her boyfriend. He'd ended the conversation pretty abruptly, after ignoring her calls for a day before. It was strange, as he'd sounded like he was afraid to speak with her. She had to admit, she was a little concerned.  
>"He's acting a little strange," she told Simon truthfully, knowing she could trust her friend to make a geeky joke to lighten the mood.<br>"Well, that's sorta to be expected since he has got fire in his veins... Literally. Maybe if he burns himself almost to death he can go all Darth Vader. Wouldn't that costume be awesome for fighting demons?" There it was. Clary allowed herself to laugh and worry about Jace only once she got to the Institute to see him.  
>"So, what do you want to talk to Izzy about?" Clary asked, wanting to take her mind off Jace.<br>"Oh, you know - just stuff. It's good to get away from the apartment, though - Jordan and Maia are at it pretty much 24/7 right now." Clary could only guess what Simon meant by 'stuff' and she wasn't sure she wanted to.  
>"I think it's nice for them," she said.<br>"Yeah, real nice. Just not when it's everywhere."  
>When they finally got to the Institute, Simon waited outside as Clary pushed open the huge front door and proceeded inside. The old church looked just a huge as it always did, but there was a feel of emptiness that made Clary wonder if anyone was home.<br>She spotted Church, the blue Persian cat, rolling around in a pool of sunlight under a window and coaxed him towards her. The cat came, almost unwillingly and stared up at her, probably wondering why she was disturbing his peace.  
>"Hey Church," Clary greeted him, not even attempting to pet the grumpy cat. "Where's Jace?"<br>Clary thought she saw the cat sigh with frustration, but she put it down to tiredness and lack of caffeine on her part. Church, however, led her down the hall to their left and up a staircase, meowing with a moody tone. At the top of the stairs, Clary was greeted by Isabelle, who was dressed in an elaborate fashion with a long black skirt with a slit down the side and a matching bodice.  
>"Have you seen Simon?" Izzy asked, trying to act aloof about the question, even though Clary knew that the other girl cared more that she let on.<br>"Sure, he's waiting outside. Actually, he wanted to talk to you so -" Before Clary could even finish speaking, Izzy had rushed down the stairs with her skirt flapping behind her heals. Clary could only guess how Simon would react to her clothes.  
>Turning around, Clary just caught sight of the end of Church's tail disappearing around a corner and guessed that the cat was heading towards the library. Of course, she should have guessed that Jace would be there, probably studying some ancient Greek text. She rushed to the door and hauled only open.<br>"Jace, are you in h-" Clary couldn't help but gasp, the rest of her sentence caught in her throat as the image of Alec and Jace kissing sifted through her mind and she tried to make sense of it. Jace looked up, catching her gaze and opening his mouth to say something, but he seemed to be just as lost for words as she was.  
>Clary couldn't believe what was happening. Had she been hallucinating or had she really just witnessed Jace with his lips to Alec's and his hand creeping under the other boy's shirt? Why on earth had she just seen that - what the hell was going on?! Clary couldn't even think straight, and her only reaction was to run from the room, almost bashing into the doorframe as she made a desperate escape.<br>Jace stared after his girlfriend as she ran away, not knowing what he could really do after what she'd just seen.  
>"Oh shit," Alec was repeating again and again, stood from his seat and pacing with his hands in his hair. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit."<br>"This is bad," Jace said simply.  
>"You think? This is worse than bad - this is bloody terrible!" Alec blurted out. Jace frowned, wanting to tell his parabatai to calm down but knowing that comfort from him probably wasn't going to help the situation. Then he felt something nudging persistently on his ankle, and looked down to see the blue menace that was Church purring loudly at his feet. He reached down to pick up the cat.<br>"How could you Church?" Jace said to him. "How could you betray our privacy by leading Clary here? You could have at least given us some warning." Church just meowed lazily and yawned in Jace's face. Jace gave up, setting the cat back on the floor and setting off to follow Clary, hoping he could somehow explain his way out of this sticky situation. Alec was hot on his heels as he ran after her.  
>"Clary!" Jace called from the middle of the stairs, but it was clear that she had already fled through the front doors and left the Institute. Jace and Alec rushed outside, but Clary was gone. Instead, they were greeted with the unwelcome sight of Isabelle pressed up against a wall by Simon, engaged in a heated kiss that made Alec's eyes widen.<br>"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He shouted, although he sounded more horrified than angry.  
>"Oh, just kissing away their troubles by the looks of things," Jace commented, and got an unappreciative look from Alec. Izzy blushed a little, which was quite unlike her, and Simon looked all too pleased with himself, a smug grin on his mouth that was so unfamiliar Jace wished he could snapshot it to laugh about it with Clary later.<br>Clary. By the Angel, what had he done? Not only was she bound to tell someone what she'd seen, but he had hurt her in the most horrible way possible. Alec was right - she didn't deserve that, and Jace wished he had told her what was going on before she found out in such a terrible way.  
>"Hey, where'd Clary go?" Simon asked, and neither Alec nor Jace had ever wanted to hit him more. <p>


	6. Chapter 6

"Magnus!" Clary shouted into the mic outside the warlock's apartment building. "I know you can hear me. Let me in, come on!" She hit it with her fist in frustration, the pain echoing up her arms and raising her anger. But she couldn't have cared less. Clary had spent hours holding back tears, strolling aimlessly around the city, before coming to her senses all of a sudden and she stormed off towards Magnus' apartment. She wasn't going to leave until he at least spoke with her.

"Ok, ok, no need to be violent. Come on up," she heard him groan, seemingly bored and impatient today. She listened for the click of the door unlocking and stormed up the stairs to Magnus' loft.

Magnus' apartment had always had brilliant décor perfect to withstand countless parties whilst still looking fabulous. The furniture looked different today, new and dazzling with glitter and sequins. It seemed as though the warlock had thrown out anything Alec might have touched and replaced it all.

Magnus himself was lounging on his couch, dressed, as he always was, in elaborate, glittery attire and stroking the mound of fluff that was his cat, Chairman Meow. He looked up at Clary when she bounded into the room with a disinterested expression.

"If you've come here for Alec's sake you are wasting your time," he said. "I already told Isabelle that my decision was final. I'm not taking him back."

"That's not why I'm here," Clary blurted. "Well, it sort of is, but I have good reason."

Magnus sighed and stood, crossing the room to the kitchen and pouring himself a drink. "I'm guessing this has some sort of story to go with it, but please do get to the point - I don't have all day."

"I walked in on Alec and Jace kissing."

Magnus tried to stay composed, but Clary knew he was a little surprised at just how quickly she had gotten to the point. He maintained his 'I don't care' frown but she noticed him flinch as he realised exactly what she'd said.

"That's no longer my concern, Clary," he stated, collapsing back onto the couch with a cup of steaming coffee. "You see, the 'ex' in 'ex-boyfriend' means that Alec is no longer any of my business. However I can understand how you in particular may be confused by that concept, since you couldn't even keep your hands off a guy you thought was your brother."

Clary scowled at his cold words but shrugged them off and continued. "Jace and Alec have been acting weird since you two broke up, and I'll bet that kiss wasn't the first. Maybe this is some sort of rebound thing that will stop if you just-"

"Intervene," Magnus finished. "Now, the problem with that is I promised myself I would never intervene again. I don't do favours, just paid jobs."

"Magnus, please! I don't want to loose Jace when I've only just got him back," Clary pleaded, tempted to beg on her knees if he refused. "Please - just try!"

Magnus sighed again, and took a swing from his drink. "So you want me to cuddle back up to Alec so that you can have the blondie back in your arms? What an interestingly stupid plan."

Clary groaned. "Fine then. I'll think of something else."

"Yes, good luck. And remember if you need help, any help at all... Don't come to me."She started to leave, knowing that she was wasting her time. She also wasn't fond of Magnus insulting her.

"But Clary," Magnus called as she left. She turned back to see a melancholic expression on the warlock's face. "Please know that I don't refuse in order to spite you. I just... Alec and I didn't work out, and I wouldn't want to give him - or myself for that matter - false hope just to crush his heart again. I do hope you understand."

Clary nodded, smiling sadly at him, and retreated.

As soon as Clary had left, Magnus slammed shut the door she had departed from and leant with his back against it, eyes closed as he wondered how his mental health could possibly be fairing with all the crazy goings on as of late. So much had happened since he'd met Alec, that blue eyed, eighteen year old Shadowhunter who had quickly captured Magnus' heart with his muscular arms and innocent smile. It wasn't just Alec's striking resemblance to an old friend that had sparked his interest, but his kind heart and, well, other unexpected traits that only Magnus alone had seen.

But now Alec, it seemed, had forgotten about him and moved on to his blonde Herondale friend. Magnus couldn't exactly blame Alec for this - Herondales were known for their arrogance and charm that he had experienced first hand some hundred years ago - but he had to admit that he'd expected at least a little mourning time from the Lightwood boy. Maybe he was just being a little arrogant himself, maybe Alec hadn't loved him the way he had loved Alec, but it had stung his heart when Clary had said those devastating words.

Just then, as Magnus began to dwell on the crazy antics of his past loves, his phone rang loudly. Magnus sighed and fished the cell out of his pocket, eyes narrowing when he saw the name on the screen: Sweet Cheeks. He really ought to have changed it to 'Annoying Ex Who Won't Leave Me Alone' by now, but he couldn't bring himself to think of Alec in that way. Magnus had been dodging the Shadowhunter's calls and even stopped himself from listening to the voicemails, since everytime he did, he felt compelled to call Alec back. He knew that he shouldn't have, but before he could stop himself, Magnus had accepted the call and put the phone to his ear.

"M-Magnus?" The familiar voice at the other end of the line said, and the warlock drew in a silent breath - he'd forgotten how much he loved that voice.

"What do you want?" He asked, knowing he sounded mean, but it was the only way to bite his tongue from saying the apologies he wished to confess.

"Magnus, it's Alec. I just wanted to talk to you to... Well, I wanted to apologise for what I did and tell you that I'm sorry and I -" Alec kept talking for a good few minutes without a single breath, and it pulled on Magnus' heart strings to hear him in such a desperate state. But he couldn't let it get to him - Alec had already shown how little their relationship had really meant to him.

"Is this official business," Magnus asked coldly, cutting Alec off and allowing his frustration to leak into his tone, "or are you going to keep talking? Because I do I have places to be."

"Erm..." Alec was a little taken back - he hadn't been expecting Magnus to pick up and be in a rush. "Well, I hoped we could talk."

"Talk? I have better things to do than sit and listen to your whining."

"Magnus, I -"

"If you don't have anything else to say, I'm afraid I must go. I'm sure you have things to do as well - blonde things, maybe?" It sounded as though he was about to hang up, but Magnus couldn't bring himself to put down the phone. Talking to Alec and knowing that he may never kiss the beautiful blue eyed boy was painful, but ending the conversation, he knew, would feel even worse.

However, on the other end of the phone, Alec's temper suddenly snapped and he wondered why he was putting up with Magnus' rudeness. If it had been anyone else, he would have put them in their place right away, but with the warlock he gave him a little more leeway. But Magnus had crossed a line.

"Do you know what, Magnus?" he spat down the phone. "Fuck off!" The gasp Alec then heard from the phone sounded just as surprised as Alec himself felt towards the outburst, but it was done. He slammed down the phone, throwing it to the ground and stomping on it until the metal crunched under his foot. But it wasn't enough. There was still a lot of built up anger sitting heavily on Alec's chest, desperate to be released. And there was only one way that Alec could think of to do so.

Alec stormed through the Institute, not caring if he was making too much noise. It was past midnight, and everyone else was presumably asleep. The moonlight streamed through the windows like it was reaching out to Alec, but he carried on without a backwards glance, reaching the door he was looking for and not even stopping to knock.

The room was dark, curtains drawn and a faint snore echoing through the space. Alec didn't even hesitate, surprising himself as he shot forward to the bed and almost pounced right onto the sleeping mound of bedsheets that laid there. But the slam of the bedroom door jolted it awake, and Jace sat up suddenly, peering through the darkness to see his parabatai standing just beside his bed.

"Alec?" He asked, still under a light haze of lingering sleep, but before he could ask what the other boy was doing here, Alec had climbed confidently onto the bed with him and slammed their lips together so hard it hurt.

Suddenly, Jace was wide awake, eyes open and arms refusing to follow the commands the rest of his body was screaming. He'd spent the whole afternoon and evening trying to get hold of Clary; he couldn't recall a time when he'd used his phone so frequently in one day. He'd obviously hurt Clary, and although he hadn't meant it, he'd vowed to himself that he wouldn't kiss Alec again. The Lightwood had been right - it was risky, not to mention illegal.

But now, with the sweet taste of Alec's lips returned to his senses once again, Jace couldn't stop his arms from curling themselves around Alec's neck, drawing him closer with every hasty breath. The next thing he knew, Alec was positioned on top of him, straddling him with a leg beside each of his hips, his hands creeping up Jace's arms until the black haired boy had Jace's wrists held tightly above his head on the pillow.

All of a sudden, Jace could feel tiny balls of fire igniting all over his skin, but with only the thin, fraying material of Alec's sweater between their chests (Jace was topless, wearing only boxers), the fire was extinguished pretty quickly, making Jace feel as though he was bathing in a warm waterfall. But no matter how amazing he felt, Jace needed to breathe. He struggled to pull his lips from Alec's, but just about managed to, laying his head back on the pillow. And yet, the other boy wasn't the slightest bit disheartened, and moved down to Jace's neck, kissing and biting hungrily at the skin there. Jace wondered how he could go so long with not a single rune, maybe?

"Alec," Jace breathed, his voice somewhere between passion and exhaustion. "Alec, what are you doing? I thought... After earlier... After Clary... Do you realise how illegal this is?"

"I don't care, Jace. And since when have you been concerned with following the law?" Alec had begun a slow decent down the warm skin of Jace's chest, pausing at a nipple to bite hard on it until Jace yelped. "What about this morning? You certainly didn't seem to mind then."

"That was different," Jace murmured, surprised that their shower encounter had really been just this morning.

"Different because you'd forgotten about Clary?" Alec didn't sound as though he judged Jace, but chuckled slightly with the words. He loosened his grip on Jace's wrists and returned his lips to Jace's, lingering with a long, tantalising kiss before whispering, "I need this Jace. Please."

Jace didn't object, and Alec's hands moved, caressing Jace's sides as they passed, before resting on the waistband of his boxers. He was clearly about to give them a firm tug, but Jace groaned and caught his hands before they could move any further.

"That's not really fair, is it Alec?" He whispered flirtatiously, catching his gaze through the darkness. "I have to strip when you're still fully dressed?"

Jace grinned back at Alec when he smiled. Who cared about Clary when their was a perfectly willing - and beautifully sculpted - man right on top of him? He would apologise and beg for her forgiveness if she refused it, but he couldn't deny what he felt for Alec. On top of all this, there was Jace's desperate need for a relief. The Heavenly Fire had preventing him from taking such actions, even on his own, but with Alec he didn't suffer the same problem. He felt free again, and he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity as thoroughly as possible.

Trusting that Alec wouldn't cheat, Jace let go of his hands and crept his own under Alec's loose sweater, pulling it swiftly over the boy's head and tossing it to the floor. Suddenly, their lips were together again, picking up right where they'd left off as though they'd never parted. Before long, Alec's jeans followed his sweater and finally, both of their underwear too. The warm heat between them was so comforting that Jace felt like falling asleep peacefully in Alec's arms, but fiesty kisses and a frequent thrust of Alec's hips kept him wide awake.

Eventually, Jace was able to drift off to sleep, his whole body laid over Alec's, overwhelmed by exhaustion yet satisfaction.

"Wow," Alec said through heavy breaths. "I was angrier than I thought."

A/N: Sorry for the kinda-late update guys. I try to update this story every weekend but I've been slacking a bit as of late.

Yup, it's happened. After six chapters, Jalec have finally done it and the world is well! It killed me to write that bit with Magnus being mean to Alec, but the rest of the scene didn't really work without it, so sorry about that. (BTW, you may notice that I stole that last line from Alec from Two and A Half Men, but it fitted so I threw it in). Review and tell me what you think - thanks! xxx


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
>When Alec woke the next morning, he was greeted with a familiarly musky smell and the light touch of kisses being carefully placed in a dotted line along his collarbone. He didn't even need to think to know exactly where he was: the scent of his parabatai was one he'd known for almost six years. All he wanted in that one moment was to stretch out this exact second for as long as he could make it. He therefore remained still, eyes held tightly closed, pretending that he was still fast asleep.<br>But Jace, as perceptive as he was, could not be fooled. He soon chuckled and, to Alec's great dismay, the line of kisses abruptly stopped.  
>"You're awake, aren't you?" Jace muttered, and Alec pried open his eyes. The blonde laid comfortably on his stomach, diagonally across the bed, head rested on Alec's chest so that he could leave the kisses he had been previously. Both boys were still gloriously naked, only a thin sheet thrown over them to protect their decency, but the cold wasn't a problem at all; Jace more than made up for it since his skin now felt more like the warm glow of a campfire rather than a flame from the fire itself. He grinned and Alec couldn't help but grin too, shifting so that he laid on his side, head propped up by his elbow.<br>"Why are you up so early?" He asked Jace, a little flirtatiously to his great surprise. Jace had mirrored his position and was staring happily at Alec, as though he was smiling at some hidden joke Alec was blissfully unaware of.  
>"Just watching you sleep," Jace whispered back, his voice unimaginably sexy. "Sorry if I woke you - I couldn't help but touch."<br>"No, it's fine. Please, do go on." Jace's eyebrows jerked up a little, but he then leaned forward. Yet instead of carrying on with the path he'd started over Alec's collarbone, he went straight for the mouth, leaping right in with a few bites of Alec's bottom lip. Alec immediately let out a low moan, which only seemed to spur Jace on even further. He slung an arm over Alec's waist just as Alec reached up to curl his fingers into the blonde's hair, and Jace even slid a confident leg in between Alec's legs.  
>"So last night was interesting," Jace purred contently against his lips. "You seemed pretty eager compared to yesterday morning."<br>Alec groaned quietly. He didn't know how to explain himself and his sudden change in decision, so he just went about distracting Jace as he gave a vague answer, twirling his fingers playfully in the other boy's hair and planting light nips and kisses on his jaw. "Things change," he said, hoping his methods of distraction would play out to his advantage.  
>But Jace refused to give in, and carried on with his questions whilst tracing light circles on Alec's hip with his finger. "Afterwards, you said something about being angrier than you thought. What was that about? Why were you angry?"<br>Alec didn't say anything, but just held in a breath and acted as if Jace hadn't said a word. But the blonde was persistent.  
>"Hey," he said, catching Alec's chin and dragging his eyes to meet his concerned gaze. "Was it Magnus?" Alec let out his sigh as an answer and Jace didn't need any other clarification. He seemed to be concealing anger when he asked, "What did he do?"<br>"Nothing," Alec insisted. "Magnus didn't do anything. He was right to be upset. Clary must have told him about what she saw. He knows, anyhow."  
>This time it was Jace's turn to sigh, muttering under his breath, "Great. I knew this was a bad idea."<br>Alec jerked back, a frown reaching his mouth as his fingers left Jace's hair, pulling hard on it as he did. "What's that supposed to mean?" he said defensively, regretting his impulsiveness the moment the words shot out of his mouth. Wasn't Jace supposed to be the impulsive one? The mention of Magnus had immediately shifted Alec's mood and the idea that Jace felt that what they'd done was a terrible idea made his reactions act desperately.  
>But Jace didn't look offended in the slightest, his eyes wide with surprise and hasty apology.<br>"No! No, Alec, that came out wrong. I mean, I love you but it's risky. If the Clave found out we'd be killed."  
>Jace's point was a valid one, but the only words that Alec had even picked up on were three small ones, that stuck in his mind and made his eyes grow wide.<br>"What did you say?" He whispered. "You love me?"  
>Jace seemed shocked that he'd said it even himself, but nodded nonetheless. "Yeah, I guess. It's pretty rational really, since I've recently discovered how amazing your body is and I liked you before anyway." Jace gulped - Alec had to admit he'd never seen him so flustered. "You're my parabatai, Alec. I loved you before, but now it's just... Different."<br>Alec was thrilled. He didn't even feel the need to say outloud what he could easily communicate through a kiss, but that was enough for Jace. Alec found himself rolling until he was on top of the blonde, who wouldn't take that for very long. "Oh, no you don't," he murmured and flipped them over quickly until he was on top, seeking dominance as was expected.  
>Then, just as Jace leant down to press his lips to Alec's, a knock came at the door, startlingly Jace so that he almost toppled off of the bed. It was very unlike him, as he was usually much more graceful in his movements, which made the rare occasion even more hilarious. Alec stifled a laugh when he heard the frustrated voice of his sister.<br>"Jace!" She called. "Come on, let's get going already." After hearing no answer from the blonde, Izzy seemed to get even more annoyed "Are you still asleep? Honestly, what is up with you?"  
>"Alright, just a second!" Alec snapped back without thinking, a second later remembering that he wasn't actually supposed to be in Jace's room at this time in the morning. He sent Jace, sat beside him in the bed, a worried, apologetic look, but the other boy didn't seemed to be that concerned.<br>"Alec?" Izzy queried. "What are you doing in Jace's room?" She eased open the door, keen to see inside, and Alec yelped when he saw her head peeking around the door and fumbled for the sheet to cover himself.  
>"What the - Holy crap, what the fuck?!" She screamed immediately shielding her eyes. "What the hell is going on?" But before she could get any sort of answer, she rushed out of the room and slammed the door behind her.<br>Alec jumped up from the bed, running to the door before reminding himself that he was butt naked. After a thought, he decided that he didn't care, but, then again, Izzy, his parents and any other visitors probably wouldn't appreciate him running around the Institute without decent clothing. He turned back to Jace, who was still lazily lounged on the bed, looking tempting, Alec refused to allow himself thoughts that were not appropriate for the current situation.  
>"Oh shit, what do I do?" He asked, panic rising and suffocating him in the air around him. Jace, however didn't look the slightest bit fazed, and only shrugged.<br>"She was bound to find out eventually. However, we may have just scarred her for life..."  
>Alec sent him a murderous stare. "Don't make jokes, Jace. Plus, I doubt she'll be scarred - she's probably seen worse." Suddenly, Alec realised he was pacing restlessly, and stopped abruptly in his tracks.<br>"Hey," Jace said, crawling to the end of the bed and beckoning Alec towards him. He obeyed a little unwillingly, unsure of what Jace had planned. But Jace didn't try anything, just simply took Alec's hands and kissed the insides of each of his wrists one at a time. "Calm down, OK?" He told him softly. "Get dressed and go after her. I'm sure it'll be fine." With that Alec smiled and accepted a kiss from Jace, before hastily locating his clothes from the night before and throwing them on, leaving the room to race after his shell-shocked sister.

When Alec caught up with Izzy, she was just leaving the Institute, gliding through the front doors with her Shadowhunter gear on and her whip wrapped around her wrist, a seraph blade on her belt. She'd departed from Jace's room in a sudden blaze of panic, shock and anger, the blue sky and light breeze of the outside world the only things that she thought would be able to keep her sane.  
>Closing her eyes to take in a long, deep breath, suddenly all Izzy could see was the recent image stuck in her mind of her brothers, Jace laying on Alec with a grin on his face as they kissed, both wearing nothing at all from what she could tell. A shiver rocketed down her spine as she saw it, but not due to the cold, and certainly not the same type of nervous shiver that Simon ignited in her. She was terrified that the image of Jace and Alec in bed would be tattooed onto her eyelids forever.<br>Noticing that Alec was racing after her made everything a million times worse. He rushed outside after her, clearly having thrown on his clothes as quickly as possible since his sweater was inside-out. Noticing this just reminded her yet again of what she'd just seen.  
>"Isabelle, wait!" Alec called, catching up with her and sending her a sorry look. She huffed and turned to see him, crossing her arms with a frown.<br>"What the hell was that?" she asked, deciding to take a stern approach. Alec might have been her older brother, but that didn't mean she was afraid to shout at him.  
>"I'm sorry, Izzy, I didn't mean for you to see that," Alec said, with pleading tone.<br>"You and Jace?," Izzy continued. "Really? What about Magnus? Plus, you're parabatai, Alec - do you know what this means?"  
>"Of course I do," Alec said, careful not to step too close to his angry sister. "I know it's illegal, but I don't care and neither does Jace. Please, Izzy, just calm -"<br>"Don't tell me to calm down!" She snapped. "What do you think you're doing, Alec? Have you gone completely insane?! What are mum and dad going to say when they find out you're fucking your parabatai?"  
>"They're not going to find out."<br>"Really? Are you sure, because that's what you said when you told me you were gay."  
>"They're not going to find out," Alec repeated sternly. "As long as you don't tell them, that is."<br>"No, of course I won't tell them, they'd go mental. It's just weird. Jace, I mean, God, he's like our brother. What you're doing is practically incest - I hope you realise that!"  
>Alec didn't reply, and Izzy sighed, turning away and pressing a palm to her forehead to try and get rid of the image that still sat there. She tried to take her mind off it, when a thought came to mind and she whirled back around to face her brother.<br>"Wait a second," she said, "What about Clary? Does she know what's going on?" Alec tensed suddenly. "Is that why she ran out yesterday?" Alec bowed his head and nodded solemnly, running a hand through his dark hair when Izzy gasped.  
>"Alec, how could you?! You know how much she loves him, she must be heartbroken! By the Angel, that poor girl. I hope you weren't a total jerk when you told her." Alec hoped that his sister would calm down now that she'd had her outburst, but his wince when she said this gave him away instantly and Izzy stormed past him back into the Institute, heading towards the training room. Alec ran after her, determined not to let the conversation end with her hating him.<br>"Izzy! Isabelle -" Alec called as he shoved open the door to the training room, only a second behind his sister. But he was cut off when a sharp knife sailed past his head, missing by only a few inches, and buried itself into the wall beside him.  
>"Don't, Alec," Izzy said, hiding the flinch that had sparked when the knife she'd thrown had only just missed her brother. "Please. Save it."<br>"But-"  
>"Alec, I need time." With that Alec sighed, concluding that there was no way he was going to get his sister to listen to him any time soon. He departed from the room quickly, leaving Izabelle alone in the training room and feeling as though she was choking on tears.<br>Izzy hated quarrelling with her brother, and this was much more than just another petty fight. She didn't want to push Alec away, but she just couldn't get over the fact that she had just found her brothers in bed together. She knew that she should go to the Clave, but they were family and the sentence for falling in love with your parabatai was death. Izzy had already lost a brother, and she couldn't even think of losing another.  
>Stalking to the door, Izzy plucked the knife she'd thrown from the wall and backed up, tossing it again, yet this time with a more precise target. Training had always been her favourite form of distraction, and she definitely needed a whole load of distraction now.<p>

A/N: Hey guys! So I was debating on whether to carry this on or end it, but I have a few ideas for this story yet so they'll be a fair few more chapters until I even consider finishing it. I know the last couple of chapters have been a bit sad and depressing, but bare with me - there will be some action coming up soon!  
>Please review and tell me what you thought. Thanks X. <p>


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

After a while - and it definitely took a while - Izzy's anger eventually dissipated, and shifted more into guilt. Maybe she'd overreacted when Alec came to speak to her, but the shock had been so overwhelming she surely couldn't have been held accountable for her actions in such a state. She was still horrified by what she'd found, but they were her brothers after all and she knew that she should give them her full support, even when they were committing an act more illegal and weird than she'd thought they were capable of.  
>Sure, she'd known about Alec's crush on Jace for years, and had shared the burden of his headache. She'd kept the secret to herself no matter how much she wanted to tell someone, because Alec was her brother and she loved him. But, even through all of that, she'd never really expected that Alec's childhood fantasies would ever really come to fruition. As far as she'd known, Jace was straight, and hopelessly in love with Clary the last time she'd checked.<br>That night, as soon as Izzy had worked off her temper and shock in the training room, she'd called Clary. But after a few tries I became apparent that the redhead was ignoring her. Izzy couldn't exactly blame the girl; in her shoes, Izzy wouldn't have wanted to speak to anyone, let alone the sister of the reason for her heartbreak. Yet, no matter how much Izzy told herself that there was nothing she could do - it wasn't really her problem anyway - she couldn't help but feel partially responsible. It didn't take long for the mound of unmovable guilt to settle in.  
>Izzy felt that she needed to get her frustration out somehow, to make room for this new coming feeling of guilt. She wasn't about to go to her parents or - the Angel forbid - the Clave about her brothers' secret affair, but there had to be something she could do, no matter how petty, to realise the anger from her chest so she could at least think straight. It didn't take long to think of an idea.<p>

When Alec entered the Institute that evening, he was pretty sure he could smell burning.  
>The entire day had been spent strolling around in his gear, weapons strapped to his belt and a rune in place to ward off mundanes, killing a few demons here and there and, over all else, staying as far from the Institute as possible. That morning had been a total mess. Hell, the last few days had been a total mess, everything had been since Magnus had broken up with him. The only thing keeping Alec sane that day, as the look of disgust on his sister's face haunted his every thought, was the grin that had welcomed him that morning when he woke, Jace's face bright with delight and contentment. That was all he wanted, and now Clary and Isabelle had found out it was all going to be slowly torn to pieces - he knew it.<br>_The Law is hard, but it is the Law_ - the words kept swirling around his head, first in the voice of his mother, then his father, both with disappointment in their tone. It was bad enough that they'd recent discovered their son's sexuality, and now they were sure to find out that he was also hooking up with his _parabatai _- Alec couldn't imagine what they would think of him.  
>He understood - their attitude towards such a simple thing such as their son being gay might have struck anyone else by surprise, but the whole philosophy of Shadowhunters was to pass on the angelic abilities, and in anything other than hetrosexual relationships, that wasn't exactly possible. It was a practical tradition that had been passed down over generations and it was a hard thing to put a stop to all of a sudden. But as Alec avoided his home, he couldn't help but become overcome with anger.<br>He loved Jace - the fact that the words were unspoken didn't make it any less true - and the fact that the Clave and it's rules were keeping them apart made Alec blind with rage at just the thought. It was strange to suddenly become so intolerant to the Law after being conditioned by his parents to follow it to its utmost accuracy - they had been convicted once and didn't want the same fate to come of their children. Alec knew that he would die for Jace, willingly, but not due to the enforcement of a rule that unfairly kept them apart. He would go down fighting, and he knew that Jace would do the same.  
>And yet, after an entire day of thinking far too much on the subject, Alec still hadn't come up with any solution to the problems he faced, and retreated home, defeated. Here, he was unexpectedly greeted with the bitter smell of burnt... <em>Something, <em>and a baffled looking Simon running around with a spatula clenched in his fist. "Jace, what's going on?" Alec called, but the blonde didn't seem to hear him, and just sprinted in the direction of the kitchen, where smoke was leaking out thick and fast. Alec panicked, immediately assuming the worst, and rushing forward with a cry of shock when his sister stumbled out of the doorway of smoke, coughing and spluttering all over the place.  
>"What are you <em>doing<em>?" he almost screamed, but swallowed back his worry and replaced it with confusion when Izzy and Jace both exploded into uncontrollable laughter.  
>"By the Angel," Isabelle exclaimed, trying to hold in her giggles. "Calm down, Alec - I was just trying to cook and the whole damn thing exploded!"<br>"It should be against Covenant law for Izzy to set foot within a mile of any kitchen," Jace joked, earning another fit of laughter.  
>"If nobody else is going to cook, I might as well give it a try every now and then. Besides, I'm getting better!" Izzy looked up and caught Alec sending her a lighthearted smile. She returned it, with an apologetic look that told Alec that what had happened that morning was now forgotten.<br>A minute later they were all trudging back into the kitchen, coughing and waving their hands to shift the smoke. Alec heard a window open, and soon the smoke ceased to cloud his vision, as though it had never really been there at all. Izzy immediately cleared up the mess her attempted cooking had produced, giving Jace and Alec the perfect opportunity to glance towards eachother. They hadn't spoken since that morning, but both boys could still sense the infinite smile that rested in their eyes at the memory.  
>"Guys, I'm still here, you know." Izzy's voice snapped Alec back to the real world as he noticed his sister watching them, a saucepan in hand and a look of interest in her expression. He could feel a blush beginning to redden on his cheeks.<br>Jace, however, wasn't remotely fazed. "Alec told you then?" he asked.  
>"Sort of hard to hide after what I walked in on." Alec cringed a little at the mention of it, but didn't say a word.<br>"So you're OK with it?" With these words, Jace's hand slid along the small of Alec's back before resting on his hip, his fingers fiddling with the hem of Alec's shirt. Izzy saw this immediately and frowned.  
>"Look, it's none of my business, but I don't want to <em>see<em> it," she clarified. "I think we can all agree that we don't need a repeat of this morning."  
>"So you're not going to tell our parents? Or the Clave?" Jace sent Alec a look when he said this, but the Lightwood couldn't read his <em>parabatai's <em>expression as well as he usually could. Of course he didn't want the Clave to find out about them - Jace wasn't questioning that, was he?  
>"No! No, of course not," Izzy assured them, setting down the pan in her hand so that she could fold her arms over her chest. "But <em>you <em>need to apologise to Clary." She pointed at Jace, and he nodded solemnly, the smile suddenly gone from his face. "And, Alec, you too."  
>Alec's head snapped up and he frowned at his sister. "Why do <em>I <em>have to apologise to her?"  
>"Not Clary - <em>Magnus<em>. He's obviously heartbroken. He won't answer my calls or texts even with the promise of coffee, and whenever I go to his apartment, he refuses to let me in."  
>"I don't think Magnus ignoring you has anything to do with Alec, Iz," Jace pointed out.<br>"Shut up!" She snapped back, probably about to throw a witty retort, but Alec jumped in.  
>"No, she's right," he admitted. "I <em>should<em> apologise... I did sort of tell him to fuck off."  
>"What?!" Izzy screamed, at the exact same time as Jace frowned with a "Really?" of utter disbelief. Alec frowned back at both of them, and they cowered back just as a grumpy meow from the doorway made them all jump.<br>Church waltzed into the room and effortlessly jumped up onto the counter, meowing sourly once more before curling up into a fluffy ball and promptly falling asleep. With this, Jace's hand left Alec's hip and he collapsed into a nearby chair, stroking Church's furry belly and attempting to a look as casual as possible. He flicked his eyes towards the door when Alec sent him a questioning look.  
>Right on cue, Alec's mother entered the kitchen, heading straight for a cupboard to retrieve herself a blue mug. The whole room seemed to fall silent, even Alec's breathing, and Maryse noticed this as soon as she turned to see her three children all unusually tense.<br>"Everything alright, kids?" she asked, only to receive nods from the three teenagers. In the corner of her eye, she noticed the mess in the room and asked about it.  
>"Just a cooking mishap, mum," Izzy informed her, picking up a plate to put away. Maryse wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about her daughter that was strange today. Even Jace, who sat at the counter, seemingly invested in idly playing with the cat's fur, was a little on edge. Maryse figured that she had walked in on a particularly private conversation, and was a little concerned for her children's safety - they'd gotten themselves in dangerous trouble so many times recently that she'd lost count - but they were all Shadowhunters after all.<br>"Well, I'm off to the library if you need me," she said, deciding to postpone her coffee and leaving the room since the tension was getting to her. Alec let out a sigh of relief the second she was gone.  
>"Angel, that was horrible," Jace said, sighing as well and giving Church a last scratch behind the ear. "I don't think I've ever been in a more uncomfortable environment."<br>"Other than when you met Clary's mum," Izzy noted. "Conscious, that is."  
>Alec ignored his sister's comment. "Do you think mum knew something was up?" he worried.<br>"Yeah. Definitely," Jace replied sarcastically. "She totally knew exactly what was going on and is contacting the Clave right as we speak."  
>Alec sent him a look, but Jace just smiled. "Fine. In that case, I'm going to speak to Magnus." The words alone made him gulp, but he knew he would have to face it eventually.<br>"Are you sure?" Jace queried, ever the voice of concern.  
>"Yes. I have to speak to him sometime soon, so I'd rather not prolong the agony." Jace nodded at the words in agreement, and Alec turned to leave. But before he could even reach the door, Jace caught him by the shoulder and pressed their lips together in a short kiss. It was sweet and sexy in unison, and Alec wished it could last longer.<br>"Hey!" Izzy protested. "I told you I don't want to see it!" But Jace just laughed, strolling across the room to her, slinging an arm over her shoulders and planting an innocent kiss on her cheek.  
>"There," he said. "Now it's even."<p>

Alec left the Institute just a few minutes later, closing the large front doors carefully and strolling away, hands stuffed into his pockets. He really didn't want to see Magnus right now, and he'd be surprised if the warlock even buzzed him in, but he knew he had to at least try.  
>But Alec never got the chance, as just a few blocks away from the Institute, he was overcome with a strong feeling of dread. He stopped. The night was young, streetlights dim and the moon low in the sky, but it seemed as though something - or some<em>one<em> - was lurking in the shadows. Alec wasn't sure what to do, but just kept walking, hoping he still had that seraph blade stashed in his back pocket.  
>Just then, as Alec was convincing himself that there was nothing there and that he'd imagined it all, an invisible object tripped him up and he fell to the ground, face first and with only his hands to break his fall. He tried to get up, hoping that no passersby had seen him, but a strong force held him down and he was unable to move. He considered crying for help, but it occurred to him that there was no one there to help him. It was then that the fatigue began to overcome him.<br>He tried to fight it, but the sensation was like a thick, heavy blanket of sleep was being pulled over him and there was nothing he could do about it. It wasn't long before he couldn't stay awake any longer, and Alec was hauled into a vault of seemingly infinite darkness, but his last though was of a blonde boy he'd met before. _I hate you, _he tried to tell the boy, but the words were long gone before he was towed away.

A/N: I am so sorry I missed an upload last week! Life is hectic at the moment but I refuse to allow this fan fiction to die - it will be finished!  
>Dramatic ending, huh? Hope you liked it, even though not much happened. Please R&amp;R, next chapter will be up ASAP!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
>When Alec woke, he was floating.<br>The weightless feeling that surrounded him was a strange one, unlike anything he'd felt before. It was as if gravity didn't apply to him, and he instead was held midair in a trance of lingering sleepiness.  
>But other than this weird sensation, there wasn't much else about the situation that was pleasant. Alec had no idea where he was, and as his consciousness became stronger as he woke and he tried to grasp his memories, a piercing headache split through his skull. He was afraid, but his instincts told him to open his eyes.<br>But when he did he was greeted with a blindness that stung his eyes, making him slam shut his eyelids before he could see a thing. Lashing out, his legs kicked and his hands came to cradle his head as another shocking headache hit him. Alec found that every move he made was slow, as if time had slowed and it was harder to move. It was like he was submerged in water, yet he could breathe perfectly.  
>Alec forced his eyes open again, ignoring the burning of his eyeballs as he did. He couldn't sit around in the dark for a second longer - he needed to know where he was and now. But all he saw when he opened his eyes was darkness, a strange sort of blurry mist that was somewhere between a murky green and a bluish grey.<br>Something was attached to his leg, something metal and tight, the material digging into his flesh. He tried to kick out, but the metal ring around his ankle was connected to a chain, supposedly bolted to the ground.  
>Alec had a panicky feeling in his chest, but swallowed it back before it could take over his rational mind. The last thing he remembered was leaving the Institute and setting off for Magnus' apartment, but anything after that was a blur. He couldn't fathom how he'd gone from walking down the streets to being trapped in this weird bubble of what he could only guess was water. Yes, that made sense - only water could make him feel so light and weightless.<br>But where he was was still a mystery, and every time Alec tried to delve too deeply into his missing memories, a sharp pain ran through his whole body. It was agonising, but he wasn't about to just give up.  
>Through all of this, as he fumbled around in his confused mind, Alec couldn't get a recent image to shift from his head: Jace, in the last second he'd seen him, with a cheeky grin and his golden eyes locked with Alec's. The mental picture was fixed, and stayed with Alec even when the world seemed cold and dark.<p>

It wasn't until late afternoon the next day that Jace became worried about the whereabouts of his _parabatai_. Alec had left the night before and Jace hadn't seen him since. But what with the demons that he was obliged to fight and his sudden interest in his phone, Jace hadn't really noticed the absence of the eldest Lightwood.  
>The main focus of his day had been Clary. Isabelle had told him to apologise to her, and he was intent on doing just that. So much so that he had even given in to the mundane technology at his disposal and used his cell to call the redhead. Of course, she ignored him with every attempt, but Jace was still persistent. He finally understood Alec's obsession with his phone, as Jace now carried his wherever he went, waiting for Clary to hopefully call him back.<br>But it had been hours since he'd last called her, and every time he'd been greeted with nothing but her voicemail. Now, as Jace strolled aimlessly around the Institute with barely anything on his mind, he was struck with a sudden realisation that he hadn't seen Alec all day.  
>"Hey, Iz?" he said, catching the attention of his sister as she walked by. "Have you seen Alec today?"<p>

Izzy looked up and frowned, shaking her head. "No. I thought he was out demon hunting with you."

Jace shook his head as well. "I haven't seen him all day."

"Neither have I." The siblings held a shared look, both thinking the exact same thing. Both were worried, but also suspicious, remembering who Alec had set off to meet the night before. Neither wanted to be the one to suggest it, but for entirely different reasons: Alec had been hurt by the warlock once before, and Izzy didn't want her brother to go through a similar heartbreak again. Jace, however, hesitated for more selfish reasons - he wasn't all too keen on his_ parabatai _getting back with his ex just yet.

But they couldn't stand in silence forever, and Isabelle soon felt obliged to break it. "He went to see Magnus last night, didn't he?" Jace winced at the words and Izzy sent him a sympathetic smile. "I'll call him," she promised, "and try and get hold of Clary for you while I'm at it."

"Thanks," Jace murmured, before sulking off, all of a sudden struck with a terrible sense of dread. He felt strange - cold, as though he was standing outside in the autumn rain. But when he touched his skin, it was warm as usual, becoming steadily hotter the longer he was detached from Alec. He had a bad feeling that Alec wasn't with Magnus, and he was pretty sure it wasn't just a case of wishful thinking.

It wasn't long before Izzy got back to Jace, reporting that she'd spoken briefly with Clary and found that the redhead was out somewhere with Simon, "too busy to speak right now", but Jace had a feeling that it was just a convenient excuse.

"What about Alec?" Jace delved, and Izzy suddenly looked reluctant to tell him.

"Well, he's certainly not with Magnus," she said, and Jace indulged in a small sigh of relief, even though his heart clenched at the idea of Alec being missing. "Magnus was actually pretty annoyed at the idea that he might be there," Izzy continued. "He practically screamed down the phone at me. That guy has some issues."

"Maybe he was just drunk," Jace suggested. "It is Saturday, after all."

"Or heart broken," Izzy muttered, receiving a look from Jace. "What? It's true, Jace, whenever anyone even mentions Alec, he suddenly gets all defensive and quiet - it's not like him. I don't think you appreciate how much this is hurting him too."

The truth was, no, Jace didn't even want to think about how much the warlock might be hurting. He wasn't sure he was capable of feeling sympathy for both Alec and Magnus – he felt as though he was obliged to take sides, and in the end, Magnus had been the one to break things off.

Izzy was struggling with this concept to morality as well, although she hid it better than Jace did. Whilst she was annoyed at Magnus for breaking her brother's heart, and she was hesitant to trust him after such an unexpected betrayal. But she had to admit that Alec had been a little irresponsible with his actions. She'd heard most of the story from Clary, who seemed to be the only person Magnus was willing to talk to about Alec. Maybe it was because of her recent break up with Jace – or, at least, Izzy guessed they'd broken up, since Jace had been cheating on her – that Magnus felt they could relate. Whatever it was, Izzy couldn't help but feel just as sorry for Magnus as she was for her brother.

But now was not the time for dwelling on relationship mishaps, as Alec was missing and Izzy felt it her duty as a sister to find out where her brother was and if he was OK. Her and Jace's gaze locked and she said, "Tracking rune?" before Jace nodded and drew out his stele. Meanwhile, Izzy sprinted up to her brother's room to retrieve an item of his, returning with one of his thread-bare sweaters clutched in her hand.

"I should do it," Jace insisted. "I'm his _parabatai _– it will work better." Izzy nodded and watched as Jace carved the rune into his palm, holding onto Alec's sweater with his other hand. Once the rune was finished, a complicated swirl of thick lines and patterns, Jace placed his stele back in his pocket and switched the sweater into his other hand, gripping the fabric and slamming his eyes shut.

Instantly, without word of a warning, Jace was plunged into the depths of his subconscious, still standing but somewhere else entirely when he opened his eyes. All he saw was blue, a cloudy mist of the watery colour blurring his vision and stinging his eyes until he was forced to drop the sweater clutched in his hand and was flung back to his own reality, gasping due to a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding.

Izzy stood ahead of him, wide eyed and already questioning him on what he'd seen. "What is it? Jace, are you OK? Where is he?"

"I don't know," Jace said solemnly. "I couldn't figure out a location."

"What did you see?"

"Nothing – it was all blurry."

Jace rubbed his eyes, still sensitive after the ache that had encompassed them just a second ago, and Izzy sent him a look, apologies written all over her face.

"We need to get Magnus," she said, and even though he wasn't keen on the idea, Jace had to admit that it was the smartest idea. He had to find Alec, and quickly.

A/N: Ooh, spooky, huh? Can you guess who is behind the strange occurrences going on? Please R&R and I'll update again as soon as I can. Thanks! X


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